My Unexpected Journey to IVF
When IVF is sometimes necessary
As a capable Virgo with a very Type A personality and a background in integrative nutrition, there was absolutely no way I was prepared to accept IVF as the answer. You truly could not have convinced me otherwise.
For three years, I tried everything. Diet and exercise, of course. Eating enough but not too much. Moving my body but not overdoing it. Anti-inflammatory foods without becoming overly restrictive. Therapy, physical therapy, massage, acupuncture. Functional testing, high-quality supplements, functional medicine doctors, specialized diets, energy work, positive thinking. I honestly don’t think there was a single holistic intervention I didn’t explore.
After three years and four clinics telling me what I wasn’t ready to hear, I finally had to face reality. I had stage 4 endometriosis, completely asymptomatic, and I would need surgery and IVF to have a child.
I eventually underwent a four-hour endometriosis excision surgery and had both Fallopian tubes removed due to aggressive disease. The irony still gets me. The only way I could get pregnant was by being technically sterilized. I had to swallow my pride and completely reframe how I thought about fertility and medicine.
Despite all the work I had done, endometriosis had taken a real toll on my body, and IVF was our only path forward. My doctor was cautiously optimistic. Because of the changes I had already made, I responded better than expected to IVF and went on to carry our baby after our very first frozen embryo transfer.
That wasn’t an accident. Everything I did before IVF mattered. It all led us to that moment.
IVF gets a lot of criticism. People sometimes call it the “easy way,” but if you’ve been through it, you know that’s not true. It’s hard. It’s emotional. It’s expensive. And it’s also an incredible, life-giving tool that gave me my child, and I will always be grateful for it.
I believe deeply that the foundation you lay before IVF matters. If this is something you’re investing so much into, you deserve support that helps set you up for success. This is the work I do now, and I’d be honored to help guide you through it.